Hinge structure



March 7, 1939- s. H. CALDWELL ET'AL HINGE STRUCTURE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 23, 1936 m m L M C R EDA 0 ,V L T NA T J A HD/ mm A L M Q UR March 1939. s. H. CALDWELL ET AL 2,149,576

HINGE STRUCTURE Filed March 23," 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 A TTORNE VS March 7, 1939. s H. CALDWELL ET AL 2,149,576

' HINGE STRUCTURE Fi led March 23," 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS STUART H.CALDWELL I ROWL ND J.BL QK A TTORNE YS Patented ar. 7, 1939 STATS PATENT OFFICE mNGE STRUCTURE troit, Mich.

Application March 23, 1936, Serial No. 70,442

2 Claims.

The invention relates to concealed. hinge constructions and has more particular reference to hinges designed for use for the doors of motor vehicles. In the present state of the art, the

tendency to streamline automobile bodies has changed the contour lines of the doors so that the hinged edges thereof seldom lie in a single plane. As a consequence, the axis around which the hinges turn must be outside of the outermost portion of the edge of the door in order to avoid interference of the door with the body in opening. This, with ordinary hinge constructions, necessitates a projection of the same outward beyond the surface of the body and door which for many reasons is objectionable. To avoid such construction, hinges have been devised which in addition to the pivotal connection between the body and door members, are provided with means permitting a bodily movement of said members towards or from each other, as for instance by a foldable link arranged therebetween. This, however, involves another difiiculty in that freedom for bodily movement in both upper and lower hinges, if unrestrained, would permit a difierential action thereof, causing the door to sag.

It is the object of the present invention to obtain a construction in which the body and door members of the hinge are connected to each other for both angular and relative bodily movement, but which are also provided with coordinating means for preventing either movement independent of the other. Such construction permits cating the hinge so as to be concealed when the door is closed and, nevertheless, providing for an angular movement about an axis which is, or a series of instantaneous axes which are, substantially outside the outermost portion of the door. The invention, therefore, consists in the construction of a hinge of this character as hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my improved hinge as connecting the body and door of a 5 motor vehicle with the door in open position;

Figure 2 is a horizontal section showing the open and closed positions;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic elevation of the hinged edge of an automobile door showing the 50 curved contour line thereof; the location of the concealed hinges; and also the necessary location of the axis of turning to avoid interference between the door and body;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing a 55 modified construction of hinge;

Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the hinge;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figures 2 and 4 showing another modification.

Our improved hinge comp-rises a door plate or 5 member A, a body plate or member B and a foldable link 0 having its opposite ends pivotally connected respectively to the members A and B and adapted, in closed position, to lie therebetween. As shown, this pivotal connection is formed by 10 knuckle lugs D on the body member B and corresponding lugs E on the member A with interengaging lugs F on the link C. Pins G and H extend through these lugs and provide for the free pivotal movement. The pin G which at- 15 taches the link C to the body member B is preferably located at the outer edge of said member, While the pin H connects the inner edge of the link in the folded position thereof with the door member A. 20

With the construction as thus far described, the door could be opened or closed without interference inasmuch as a bodily movement of the members A and B away from each other combined with an angular movement of the member A would have the effect of transferring the axis around which the door swings from the axis of the pin G to an imaginary axis l lying outside of both body and door, as indicated in the diagram (Figure 5). However, if these movements were not coordinated, the weight of the door reacting upon the upper hinge would tend to pull the member A away from the member B and in a similar manner would react on the lower hinge to push these members towards each other, thereby permitting the door to sag on its hinges. Such effect would take place independent of any angular movement of the members A and B relative to each other. If, however, as shown, such bodily movement were to be restrained excepting for a corresponding angular movement, then inasmuch as both hinges must necessarily take the same angular movement, such differential action would be prevented. Also, by so coordinating the angular and the relative bodily movement of the hinge members A and B, each point of angular adjustment would have its corresponding bodily adjustment and vice versa.

Coordination between the two movements may be effected by different means. The principle involved is indicated in the diagram (Figure 5), in which the member A has rigid therewith and projecting therefrom an arm 2 extending into a recess within the automobile body in rear of the hinge member B. By restraining the outer end 3 of this arm so that it must travel in a path indicated by the dotted line 4, which is at all points transverse to the direction of simultaneous movement of the pivot H through its path around the pivot G, this will compel corresponding angular and bodily movements of the member A relative to the member B, such as to swing about outwardly shifting axes I, l etc., external to both members A and B.

As shown in Figure 4, the member B has an arm I rigid therewith and provided with a segmental cam slot J. The member A is also provided with an arm K adjacent to the arm I and having a roller L engaging the slot J. This roller is, therefore, compelled to travel along the cam whenever there is relative movement of the plates A and B, and the direction of movement from each point is such as to preclude approach or recession of the plates without relative angular movement thereof.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the plate A is provided with a curved arm M extending into a recess N in the body, and the plate B is provided with a lug also extending rearward into the recess N. Between this arm and lug is a pivotal link connection P and the proportion of the parts is such that in the opening and closing of the hinge this link will swing about its pivot Q and compel its pivotal connection R with the arm M to traverse a path at all points transverse to the portion of the path simultaneously traversed by the pivot H. This through the connecting arm M will impart to the plate A an angular movement so proportioned to its bodily movement as to cause the door to swing about the point I. Thus, with both constructions no bodily movement of the plates toward or from each other is possible without a corresponding angular movement.

Hinges constructed .as described are very rigid and durable and can be so mounted on the door and body as to be concealed from view in the closed position. The construction is also one which can be manufactured at relatively low cost.

Furthermore, the construction is one which permits the parts to be easily and quickly assembled to the door and its supporting pillar. It also allows quick and easy .assembly of the door to the body pillar of the same by the insertion of pins G and R, plate B having been fastened to the body pillar and plate A to the door in the previous sub-assembly operations.

In applying hinges of the type above'described to the doors of automobile bodies it is sometimes necessary to adjust the position of the member A relative to the door to properly hang the latter. To facilitate such adjustment we may use the modified construction shown in Figure 6. In this, the hinge member A which is attached to the door is arranged in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the door and is temporarily adjustably secured thereto by a clamping bolt S engaging a slot S in said member and an adjacent portion T of the door. The other parts of the hinge are substantially the same as above described including the foldable link C extending transverse to the plane of the door in the closed position thereof and connected by the pivot H to the member A and by the pivot G to the member B. The arm M is rigid with the member A and is connected by the pivot R with the link P, the opposite end of which is connected by the pivot Q with the arm 0 rigid with the member B. With this construction, in first mounting the door it is held in position solely by the clamping bolts S which may be adjusted by loosening and then tightening the nut S When the door is properly hung the connection between the member A and the portion T may be rendered rigid by any suitable means such as by welding at T. Another difference between this construction .and the construction of Figure 2 is that the link P is bent so that in swinging it will clear the body pillar without cutting away as large a portion thereof as is necessary with the construction shown in Figure 2.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. A hinge comprising a pair of members for attachment respectively to the door and the body or jamb, each member being provided with pivot knuckles, a single load-carrying link having its opposite ends pivotally engaging the respective knuckles and lying transversely between the same in the closed position of the door, an arm comparatively thin in vertical dimension rigid with the door member at the upper end thereof projecting to overlap said link and jamb memher and extending beyond the same in rear thereof, a lug projecting rearward from said jamb member, and a comparatively thin pivotal link connecting said lug and end of said arm extending at an angle to said load-carrying link, the total vertical dimension of said arm, lug and connecting link being so restricted as to require but slight cutting away of the jamb to receive the same.

2. A hinge comprising a pair of members for attachment respectively to the door and the body or jamb, a single load-carrying link having its opposite ends pivotally engaging the respective members and lying transversely between the same in the closed position of the door, an arm comparatively thin in vertical dimension projecting from the door member at one end thereof to overlap said link and jamb member and extend beyond the same in rear thereof, a lug projecting from said jamb member, and a comparatively thin pivotal link having one end thereof connected to said lug and having its other end connected to said arm at its free end, the total vertical dimension of said arm, lug and connecting link being so restricted as to require but slight cutting away of the jamb to receive the same.

STUART H. CALDWELL. ROWLAND J. BLACK. 

